Hidden
by Angelstearz
Summary: A friend of Ephram's comes to Everwood with a secret she'll never tell. Friendship story. No Pairings here!
1. Kaeleigh

Title: Hidden  
Author: Angels_tearz  
Disclaimer: I own Kaeleigh (pronounced Kay-lee) however, I do not own the Everwood gang, although I wouldn't mind getting a hold of Gregory Smith...  
Summary: An old friend of Ephram's comes to stay in Everwood, but she has a completely different agenda than she lets on.  
Rating: PG-13 (only a precaution)  
Author's Notes: Okay, I had this idea and wanted to test it out. If you guys have any suggestions or comments or criticisms, please review!   
  
(I got this idea from yesterday's (1/20) episode!)  
  
* * contains thoughts  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Kaeleigh looked out the window as the bus steered down the road. This kind of scenery was something you would definitely not see in New York.   
  
*Colorado. God! What am I doing?*  
  
Kaeleigh ignored the thought, she knew what she was doing.   
  
She was coming to see him.  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Ephram groaned as he opened his eyes to the incessant beeping of his alarm clock. He banged the clock, shutting off the noise, and covered his head with his pillow. He could hear his sister and his father doing god knows what downstairs.   
  
"Ephram!"   
  
Ephram sat up, "What!"  
  
"You better get up and dressed. You'll be late."  
  
Ephram rolled his eyes and mumbled, "As if that would be such a bad thing."  
  
"Ephram!?"  
  
Ephram threw the covers off of his body and stood. He threw on the first pair of jeans and tee-shirt he saw and went to the bathroom.   
  
"Ephram?"  
  
Ephram grunted, "I'm up!" He went into the bathroom and pulled out his toothbrush and toothpaste. Before he could begin to brush, he heard his father yell, "I made breakfast!"  
  
"Woo-hoo." Ephram mumbled to himself and then shouted back down, "No, thanks. I think I'd rather starve." He brushed his teeth and then went down the stairs.  
  
He met his family in the kitchen where his father proceeded to prod him to eat, "I said, I wasn't hungry."  
  
His father sat the plate of what could barely be called food onto the counter, "You know there are kids in Somalia who would kill for breakfast."  
  
Ephram smirked, "You know those kids in Somalia would kill to starve after tasting your food."  
  
Ephram grabbed a piece of toast and then went out the door, "See ya."   
  
He grabbed his bike and got on, *Off to another wonderful day in Hell.*  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
(4 hours later)  
  
Kaeleigh stretched her back and her legs and let out a moan when the bus finally pulled to a stop at her destination. She grabbed her carry-on, her only bag, and stepped off the bus.   
  
She looked around and sighed, *Home, sweet, home.*  
  
'Welcome to Everwood'  
  
*For now* 


	2. All would be forgiven?

A.N.: I hope you guys like this. I think this is going to be a good story but people disagree with me a lot so how bout you guys let me know along the way, k?   
  
  
  
  
Kaeleigh went to the hotel and dropped her bag off in the room she had rented, then she looked at her watch and decided that now was okay.   
  
She went to the school. She checked in with the office and was told that he was at lunch and that she should look in the cafeteria.  
  
She made her way, after stopping for directions twice, to the cafeteria and looked for him when she came to the door. She saw him.  
  
He was sitting, uncomfortably she might say, with a group of what appeared to be jocks.   
  
Kaeleigh raised her eyebrows at the sight, Ephram Brown with jocks? Now she knew the world was screwed.  
  
She watched him for a few minutes and then started to make her way to him when a dizzy spell overcame her. She grabbed a hold of the doorframe to steady herself and took deep breaths, waiting for it to pass.   
  
She grimaced as nausea set in. Her grip on the door became tighter and tighter until her knuckles were white.   
  
"Hey, you ok?" One student asked her. She nodded and loosened her grip as the spell passed. She took slow, even breaths until she was sure it was gone.   
  
By then, half the cafeteria had noticed her. She blushed and gave a goofy grin to the ones staring. She looked over the cafeteria until her eyes met with very familiar blue ones.  
  
She smiled at him and walked over. She noticed that the table had gotten quiet but she didn't care. It was obvious he was shocked.   
  
"Lee?" His voice was a hoarse whisper. She shrugged, "I had some time off." Ephram stood and shook his head.   
  
Kaeleigh flinched when she saw the anger in his eyes. "So, what? You though you'd just show up and all would be forgiven?" She closed her eyes for a second, "No, Eph. I needed to see you. To talk to you. I missed hanging out with you."   
  
He grabbed his backpack and replied roughly, "Yeah, well, you should have thought of that before, don't you think?"  
  
He left the cafeteria and everyone was watching Kaeleigh closely. Kaeleigh let of a whimper and went after him.  
  
"Eph! Ephram! Stop! Please! I can't-" Kaeleigh stopped to catch her breath. She doubled over and held her side. Ephram had stopped but wasn't saying anything. When she could talk again she went over to him.   
  
"Ephram, I'm sorry."  
  
He looked at her, "Sorry? Oh, yeah, well, then I forgive you, don't I? Isn't that how it always goes?"  
  
"No. I just-I couldn't-"  
  
"Well?" He was waiting for some kind of excuse. "It hurt."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
She spoke louder, "I said, it hurt. Okay, Ephram? It hurt to talk to you or to email you. I just couldn't do it!"  
  
"And after? After you ignored me, how did it feel? Did it make you feel better?" Kaeleigh shook her head, "No. It hurt more."  
  
He could hear the raw emotion in her voice, but it wasn't enough.  
  
He laughed, "I'm sorry. Was that supposed to make it better? What about me? Huh, Lee? You don't think it hurt me to talk to you or to leave you and all of our friends? You don't think it hurt when I lost my fucking mother? The one thing-no the ONLY thing that made it okay enough was you. Your voice and your smile. That was it, Lee. That was all I had. And then you just stop. You stop calling, you stop writing, and you just disappeared. Not even our friends knew where you were. Now you want to make it better? It's been a year, Lee! One goddamn year! You can't make it better."   
  
Kaeleigh watched him trudge through the snow towards some woods and blinked back tears. She had known she hurt him and she had expected this but it was a different thing to hear it. She went after him, determined to try and fix this.   
_ _ _ _ _ _  
"Ephram? Ephram, where are you? Come on! You know how freaked I get when I'm lost. This isn't funny!"  
  
"Then maybe you shouldn't have followed me." Kaeleigh jumped. She turned to him and refrained from hugging him. She had been looking for him for well over an hour and she was a city-girl! Her and nature just don't mix.  
  
She composed herself, "I had to. I want to talk about this Ephram. I want to try and make it okay." He snorted and started to walk off but she grabbed his arm, "I wasn't done, damnit! I know I can't fix this automatically or by saying I'm sorry. But I want to try. I know I hurt you and I know you needed me and I wasn't there but I couldn't okay? You were much better off without me."  
  
"Then why are you here?"  
  
Kaeleigh looked at her gloved hands and fidgeted before mumbling softly, "Because I'm NOT better off without you."  
  
  
  
  
A.N.: PLEASE REVIEW! 


	3. Lost in Pain

A.N.: BTW Kaeleigh and Ephram are best friends, nothing more. I know that their making up seems a little fast but I needed them to be friends again and I couldn't think of another way, so.........sorry.  
  
  
The two teens watched each other, knowing one of them was going to have to say something soon.   
  
"You won't do it again?" She grinned, "Cross my heart." He shook his head and smiled. He pulled her into a hug and she breathed it in.  
  
"I know you're still mad and that's okay. Just try not to stay mad for too long, okay?" She whispered in his ear and he nodded, his face buried in her neck.  
  
He gave her a slight kiss on the neck before whispering, "I missed you too." They pulled away, both smiling.  
  
They started to walk back.  
  
She looked around uncertainly, "Uh, Eph?" He turned to face her, "Yeah?"  
  
"You do know where you are going right? Cause I mean, last time we trusted your instincts we ended up in Massachusetts."  
  
All throughout the woods, you could hear Ephram's laugh.  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
When they finally made it back to the school, school was letting out and Colin was waiting for him. He could hear them bickering like little kids.  
  
"...well, if you had just listened to me-"  
  
"Listened to you! You were leading us deeper into the woods!"  
  
"I was not! I knew exactly where I was going!"  
  
"Yeah, you said that half an hour ago when we were making circles around some dumb tree."  
  
"Hey, who lives here? Huh?"  
  
Kaeleigh rolled her eyes and stopped when she saw him, "Hi." He nodded a greeting to her, then turned to Ephram.  
  
"I told Mrs. Knox you had a family emergency and had to leave. Here's the notes." Ephram took them, surprised, "Um, thanks, I guess." Colin shrugged, "No big deal. Well, I should get going. Amy and Bright are waiting for me, so..."  
  
Ephram nodded and looked in that direction for a second or two and then back at Colin's retreating back. Colin stopped and turned, "Hey...you want a ride or something?"  
  
"Uh..no, man. I'm good. Thanks though." Colin nodded and turned back in the direction he was walking. Kaeleigh watched with an amused look.  
  
"What?" She held her hands up, "Nothing, Mr. Popularity."  
  
Ephram's look turned cross, "Hey, he was just being nice." She gave him an accommodating look as she followed him in the direction she assumed was to his house, "Oh, yeah. Cause that's just the way he is, huh?"  
  
Ephram stopped and let out a big sigh, "Look, my dad kinda saved his life so he's been nice to me, okay?"  
  
Kaeleigh thought about what he said and then ran to catch up with Ephram, "Hey, Eph, how does your dad 'kinda' save someone's life. You either do or you don't. There really is no in-between."  
  
Ephram groaned, "You are truly strange, you do know this right? I mean this isn't a news flash to you, is it? Cause that would be cruel to not tell you."   
  
Kaeleigh stuck out her tongue and he laughed. She liked hearing him laugh. She knew he was still hurt by her so she was amazed by how easily they slipped back into their old roles.  
  
"Hey." She looked at him. "You wanna stay for dinner? I promise I'll make my dad order out." She nodded, she couldn't wait to see how Delia was doing.  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
(At the dinner table)  
  
"So, Kaeleigh, what brings you to Colorado?" Kaeleigh looked up from her food to Dr. Brown, "I wanted to see Ephram."  
  
"What about school?"  
  
"Geez, dad, lay off." Kaeleigh glanced over at Ephram, "No it's fine. I mean, it's a valid point." She turned her attention back to Dr. Brown, "I'm taking some time off from school."  
  
"Your parents don't mind?" Kaeleigh shrugged, "Actually, it was their idea."  
  
The table was quiet after that before Ephram remembered something.   
  
"Lee?" She turned towards him. "Where's your car?" Kaeleigh tensed and shrugged, "Didn't feel like driving it."  
  
He shook his head, "Unh-unh. Sorry, don't buy it. You and that car were inseparable."  
  
She winced and mumbled something. He grinned and leaned forward, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."  
  
Kaeleigh let out an exasperated sigh, "I said I totaled it. You happy?" Ephram could see there was more to this story, "Wow. You totaled it in New York? Must have backed up traffic for hours."  
  
Kaeleigh banged her head against the table and mumbled another unintelligible statement. Ephram was holding his laughter in, "What?"  
  
"I didn't wreck in New York." Kaeleigh ignored the intrigued look on his face and continued eating not giving anymore details.   
  
Ephram left it alone for a while but started back up as the were clearing off the table, "So where did you say you were?"  
  
"I didn't." He nodded, "Oh. You gonna tell me?" She shook her head and followed Delia into the living room. Ephram sat next to her and continued to bug her about the wreck.   
  
"I was in Canada with Lise! Happy?" Ephram laughed. "Canada? What's in Canada?" Kaeleigh shrugged, "I don't know. We weren't exactly thinking straight."  
  
He was quiet and Kaeleigh rolled her eyes, "Shut up."  
  
He held up his hands in defense, "I did not say a word."  
  
"You didn't have to."  
  
"So...I bet your parents were upset." Kaeleigh sighed, he didn't know how to stop. "God! Leave it alone!"  
  
"What? I was just saying."  
  
"Well, don't, okay?" A silence fell over the two and Delia turned on the TV, ignoring them. Finally, Kaeleigh gave up, "They were more mad about Canada than they were about the car." Ephram raised his eyebrows. "They didn't know I was there, okay?"  
  
Kaeleigh could feel the couch shaking as he tried not to laugh. She stood, "That's it! I'm leaving!" Ephram stood up to follow her, "Wait, I'm sorry. I'll stop."  
  
They were out on the porch when she turned to face him, "No, I really should go. I'm pretty tired."  
  
Ephram looked back at the house, "Why don't you stay here? We have room." Kaeleigh hesitated, "No, I already got a room and my stuff's there, so..."  
  
Ephram looked out into the yard and then back at her, "I'm glad you're here, despite my initial reaction." Kaeleigh shrugged, "You're entitled. I'll see you tomorrow, Eph."  
  
Kaeleigh started to walk towards the sidewalk when he called out from behind her, "You know you are the only one I let call me that right?" She laughed and kept walking.  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
When Kaeleigh got back to the hotel she let out a suppressed cry of pain and grabbed onto the desk to steady herself.   
  
She grabbed her head and stumbled to the bag on the bed. She opened it and hastily dumped the contents onto the bed. She fumbled through the many bottles of pills until she came to the right one. She poured three into her hand and took a bottle of water out of her bag.  
  
She downed the pills and curled up on the bed in the fetal position. She held her head until the pain subsided and sleep overcame her exhausted body.   
  
  
  
  
  
A.N.: PLEASE REVIEW! Good or bad! 


	4. Chicago again?

A.N.: Thank you for the reviews I have received and I hope to get some more. I know that on the show, Ephram doesn't have his license but, for the sake of my story, I'm going to change that tiny little thing.   
  
He does and has had it since he turned 15(which is possible).  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
  
When Kaeleigh woke up, sunlight was streaming through the window. She shielded her eyes from the brightness and carefully sat up.  
  
She winced as a wave of nausea swept through her. She closed her eyes and took deep, steady breaths. As the queasiness reduced, Kaeleigh opened her eyes and glanced at the clock.   
  
1:24  
  
She had slept most of the day away, which wasn't uncommon for her lately. She carefully stood and tried to make her way to the bathroom to take a shower. Her feet fumbled in the first few steps but she regained her balance quickly.   
  
She turned the vials in the bathtub and waited for it to gain the temperature she wanted. She slowly undressed and stepped into the scalding water.   
  
As the burning water beat down on her, she could feel the tension that had been building in her neck fading away.  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Kaeleigh smiled as she encountered the townspeople on the street. Most of them smiled back, but a few just stared at her. She stopped at what appeared to be the only diner in town and decided to get some lunch.  
  
Kaeleigh sat at the counter and waited for someone to come take her order. When the woman came, who introduced herself as Nina, Kaeleigh ordered a bowl of soup and some crackers.   
  
Before her food was brought to her, she gained some company. "Sleep good?" Kaeleigh turned and smile at her visitor.   
  
"Of course. Join me?"   
  
Andy smiled and sat next to her, "It really is good to see you, Kaeleigh." Kaeleigh averted her eyes from his gaze and gained a short smile before responding, "You may not think so later."  
  
Just then her food was set down in front of her and she busied herself with eating it. Andy was confused, and maybe a little concerned.   
  
He ordered his usual from Nina and then turned back to his companion, "What did you mean by that?"  
  
Kaeleigh looked over at him, "By what?"  
  
"By what you just said." Kaeleigh kept looking at him, confused, "What are you talking about?"  
  
Andy opened his mouth but closed it quickly, deciding to let it go. The two ate their respective lunches in silence and then Andy left to get back to his practice.   
  
After he left, Kaeleigh studied her spoon carefully. She knew full well what she had said and was glad when Dr. Brown had dropped it. After she was done she set down some money to pay for her food and left a couple of dollars extra as a tip.   
_ _ _ _ _ _  
  
When Kaeleigh left the diner she wandered around town for a bit. She had no idea what time Ephram's school let out so she didn't know when she would see him. She decided to go over to the school anyway.  
  
When she got there, the front lawn was empty. She sat down on one of the benches and hugged her knees, her head resting on her kneecaps. She waited for a pretty long time and then she heard a bell ring, which she was assuming was the bell that signified the end of the day.  
  
She soon found out she was right when the front quickly filled with students going to their vehicles and other modes of transportation.   
  
Kaeleigh stood and started looking around for Ephram but as the crowd engulfed her, she forgot what she was doing and became confused, and a little disoriented.  
  
Her disorientation turned to fear as she turned around in circles, trying to remember what she was doing. She stopped moving and stayed in one spot, hoping she would remember.   
  
"Hey!" She turned at the voice and found the guy whom Ephram had been talking about yesterday.   
  
She gave a small smile and he grabbed her by the arm, "Are you ok?" She looked around at the people and back at him and admitted, "Not really." He led her back to the bench and had her sit down, "Kaeleigh, right?" She nodded and he introduced himself, "My name's Colin. Sorry about yesterday. I was in a hurry."  
  
Kaeleigh didn't respond to him, she was looking around in wonder. He furrowed his brow, "Is everything all right?"   
  
She gave him an embarrassed look, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry." Colin turned at the sound of his name. Amy was waiting for him. Kaeleigh looked at her and then back at Colin, "You should go. I don't want to keep you."   
  
Colin glanced at her, "You're not."  
  
"Lee!" Kaeleigh looked relieved when she saw Ephram. *Ephram. I was looking for Ephram. *  
  
"See? I'm good now. You should go." Colin looked uncertain about leaving. Kaeleigh reassured him, "Really. I'm fine. It was nice to meet you, Colin." Before Colin could leave Amy came over to him and introduced herself. Kaeleigh smiled and introduced herself as well.  
  
Ephram finally got to her, "Hey!" He sat down next to her, "Hey. What are you doing here?"  
  
Kaeleigh gasped in mock annoyance, "I need a reason?"   
  
"No, no, of course not. Just wasn't expecting you."  
  
They both stood and went to the bike rack with Amy and Colin, "So what do you do around here for fun?"   
  
Ephram thought for a second, opened his mouth, closed it, then scratched his head. Kaeleigh giggled, "I guess that means nothing, huh?" He gave her a goofy smile and shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a boring person."  
  
Kaeleigh stopped walking, "Now, that. That is one thing that you are not, Ephram Brown."   
  
Ephram looked around for a minute, "Not according to these people."  
  
"Well, these people don't count." His eyes held an amused twinkle and Kaeleigh looked at their two companions semi-apologetically, "Oh! No offense."  
  
They both shrugged, "None taken." Kaeleigh turned back to Ephram and continued, "What does count is the person I know. The guy that would pick up on a moment's notice and drive to Chicago."  
  
Ephram laughed, "Oh you mean the Ephram that got grounded for two months after that incident?"  
  
Kaeleigh grinned, "But we had fun."  
  
Shaking his head, Ephram grinned, "Right. Until we arrived in Chicago to find our parents waiting for us."  
  
"You know, I never did figure out how they knew where we were going."   
  
Amy and Colin were watching this exchange with fascination. They had never seen two people seem to fit together so well before. They had never seen two people who seemed to complete each other like that.   
  
"......we should go back!"  
  
Ephram looked at her like she was crazy, "What?"  
  
Kaeleigh bounced excitedly, "Yeah! I mean, we never did get to see the city. It would be good for us!"  
  
"Uh, hello? Aren't you forgetting something?" Kaeleigh bit her lip while she was thinking, "I don't think so."  
  
"You do remember the last 'trip' we took, correct?" Kaeleigh nodded and waited for him to continue, "We just went over this! Grounded!" Kaeleigh grinned, "Not like you'd actually miss anything here." Ephram stopped and thought, "Well, that's true. It's not like being grounded in New York."  
  
Amy stepped in between the two and faced Ephram, "You are not seriously considering this, are you?" Ephram shrugged, "Maybe. Why?"  
  
"Why? Why! Maybe because you have a little thing called school. And...hello! You don't exactly have a car!" The two friends deflated, they had forgotten about that. Colin cleared his throat and spoke up, "No. But I do." Amy turned to Colin in shock, "What? Are you really going to let them take your car?"  
  
Kaeleigh and Ephram had started to perk up.   
  
"Of course not."  
  
Their shoulders sagged again.  
  
"I was thinking we could go with them."   
  
Ephram shrugged, "Sure. The more the merrier."   
  
Amy grabbed Colin by the sleeve and pulled him to the side, "What are you thinking? We can't just pick up and drive to Chicago. What about school? Our parents? Do you know how mad they will be? Not to mention the fact that we have no money. This isn't you Colin."  
  
Colin put his hands on Amy's shoulders, "How do I know that? Okay, so we'll miss school and our parents will be upset but we'll deal with them when we get home. And I'm sure we can find money somewhere. The bottom line is, how do I know what I would do and what I wouldn't?"  
  
"Because I know you, Colin. This isn't something you would do."  
  
"I'm sick of everyone telling me what I would or wouldn't do. For once, I would like to find out on my own if I like something or not." Colin walked away from Amy and back to the other two, "I'm in."  
  
They all turned to Amy, waiting for an answer. "Oh, all right, I'll go on your little trip." Colin grinned and Kaeleigh squealed, "I'm going to Chicago!"  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   
  
(One Week Later)  
  
The past week had been spent quietly gathering the things they would need for their trip.  
  
For Ephram, it was a little cash here and there.  
  
For Colin, some gas money and getting the car inspected.  
  
For Amy, it was packing up some clothes for all of them without gathering suspicion.  
  
For Kaeleigh, it was buying clothes since she only came with her small carry-on bag. It was also getting some more pills to last her for the rest of her time with Ephram.   
  
Finally, before everyone knew it, the day they were supposed to leave had arrived. The three who had school left a little bit earlier than the usual time they did every morning and went to the school, where Kaeleigh was waiting.   
  
None of them said anything to the other and they all got into Colin's car.  
  
Kaeleigh sat in the back with Ephram and watched as the trees whizzed by. She lay her head back and sighed, she was doing it. She only hoped it wasn't too late.  
_ _ _ _ _ _   
  
  
A.N.: Please please review! I know Ephram seems a little OOC but, come on, no one knows what he was like while living in New York or before his mom died so cut me a little slack. 


	5. Too Late

A.N.: I hope you guys enjoy this part. 

(On The Road)

Ephram glanced over at the sleeping form that had somehow suckered them all into this catastrophe. His father was going to have an aneurysm when he figured it all out. 

It was then that Ephram's stomach growled, making him remember that they had been driving for about seven hours with no food, "Hey Colin?" 

"Huh?" 

"You think we could stop and get some food in the next town?"

Colin looked at the clock, realizing that is was way past lunchtime and shrugged, "If the girls don't have a problem with it, then it's fine by me."

Ephram fist shook Amy awake and then Kaeleigh. Kaeleigh jerked up and looked around the car, dazed, "Huh? Wha-?"

Ephram smiled at the sight of her, her hair sticking up and the side of her face red. "We wanted to stop for food."

Kaeleigh shrugged and then winced and replied lightly, "Um...ok."

Ephram watched her with concern, "You alright?" Kaeleigh looked at Ephram and nodded, with a tight smile, "I'm fine."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

(Back in Everwood, Dr. Brown's office)

Edna picked up the ringing phone and told the person to hold. She went to Andy's office and stuck her head in the door.

"Doc?" 

Andy didn't even look up, he just told Edna to take a message. A few minutes later Edna came back, "You might want to take this call."

Andy groaned and picked up the receiver, "Dr. Brown."

"What?…..he didn't?…well, of course…..yeah…..ok, I'll handle it."

Andy slammed down the phone and stormed out of his office and to his car. He drove fast and soon arrived at his house. 

He got out, not even stopping to grab his keys from the ignition and threw open the front door. "Ephram!"

He pounded up the stairs, yelling all the way, "You better have a damn good reason for this! Ephram! Do you hear me?"

He opened the door, expecting to find his son, but only finding an empty room. 

Andy had a thought and went to the bed and breakfast where Kaeleigh was staying. 

When he arrived he was surprised to find out that she had checked out that morning and had, according to the manager, gone in the direction of the school.

Andy shook his head, trying to figure out what was going on, which didn't take him long.

When he arrived back at his office, he found both Dr. Abbott and Colin's mother waiting for him.

They told him that both of their children were not in school, along with, they had found out, Ephram. 

When Dr. Brown heard this, he was reminded of something and laughed.

"Excuse me, but what about this is funny? Our children are missing!"

"Calm down, Harold, " Andy was trying to contain his laughter, "They'll turn up somewhere."

Dr. Abbott turned red, "Well, you may not care where your child is but I most certainly do! If she is with that punk child of yours, then there will be hell to pay!" Dr. Abbott left the office in a huff and left Colin's mother, who still had not said anything.

"Do you know where they are?"

Andy thought about it, "Not specifically, but this isn't something new for those two. Well, it's a change to get their friends involved but they've done this kind of thing before and they were fine."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

(At a small-town diner)

Kaeleigh found what she wanted on the menu and asked Ephram to order it for her then excused herself to go to the bathroom. 

She looked in the mirror into her dilated pupils. She brought her hands to her temples and started to gently massage them, wishing the pain to go away.

The pain didn't go away, only increased with an amazing intensity.

Kaeleigh sucked in a painful breath and shuddered. With very careful and slow moves, she pulled her bag up to the sink. She pulled out her pills and instead of the usual three, she grabbed four.

She threw them into her mouth and swallowed, eyes closed to avoid the light.

She grabbed a hold of the counter top as the pain exploded in her head for her sudden movements.

_ _ _ _ _ _

Amy went back to the table, unnerved by what she had just seen. 

She gave a small smile at the guys and quietly sat down, trying to decide what to do. A few minutes later their food was brought to them and Kaeleigh returned to the table. 

The group ate their food and soon returned to the car. They drove until it became incredibly dark. They stopped at a motel and got two hotel rooms. Amy and Kaeleigh would share one room and Ephram and Colin would share the other. 

When the girls dropped their bags in their room, they shuffled awkwardly. They didn't know each other, and had no idea what to say.

Kaeleigh sat on one of the beds and gingerly took off her shoes. She was, despite how it looked, quite happy. She had been wanting to go to Chicago with Ephram since way before their last attempt and this time, it just might happen. 

Amy sat on the other bed, eyeing Kaeleigh's bag, troubled. She didn't know whether to confront her or to just leave it alone. Finally making her decision she stood determined and went over to where Kaeleigh sat. She kneeled down, Kaeleigh watching her curiously, and dumped out the contents of Kaeleigh's small bag. 

Kaeleigh closed her eyes and looked away while Amy looked at all the bottles, amazed. 

Amy looked at the labels, one after another. Each bottle's prescription was stronger and stronger. She may not be a doctor but she was a doctor's daughter. She knew what these where. They were highly addictive pain pills. 

Darvocet, Darvon, Vicodin, Codeine, Demerol. 

She picked up all the bottles and went to the bathroom, having already decided why Kaeleigh had them without asking. Kaeleigh stood, alarmed, and followed.

"What the hell are you doing!?!" She yelled as Amy dumped on of the prescription bottles into the toilet.

Kaeleigh grabbed at the bottles, which Amy pulled away.

"You need help." 

Anger flashed on Kaeleigh's face, "You don't know anything about me! You don't know what I need!" Kaeleigh struggled with Amy and managed to grab one of the pill bottles as the rest fell into the toilet. 

Tears filled Kaeleigh's eyes as Amy backed away into the doorway where, unknown to the girls, Colin and Ephram stood. Kaeleigh looked at the label and laughed. 

Demerol.

She slowly sat down on the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. Ephram pushed past the other two and kneeled next to Kaeleigh, "Lee? What's going on?"

She pulled away and shook her head, "You don't know what you've done to me. You don't understand! You have no idea. You can't…"

Ephram looked back to Amy, confused. Amy shrugged helplessly, "I just thought…"

He pulled Kaeleigh up and started to walk her to the bed.

Kaeleigh couldn't believe it. That bitch had flushed her meds. She could feel herself getting light head and tried to stop Ephram from pulling her up but she was not a match for him. 

Halfway to the bed, Kaeleigh felt her legs give out from underneath her and she felt paralyzed. Ephram was saying something to her but she couldn't comprehend it. 

She couldn't get back up. She tried but her muscles just wouldn't move. She was too weak. 

New tears formed in Kaeleigh's eyes. She knew what was happening. 

She could see Ephram talking excitedly into the hotel phone. Kaeleigh closed her eyes, it was over. 

He was going to find out.

It _was_ too late. 


	6. No Heroes This Time

(At the Hospital)  
  
Ephram paced the halls like a caged animal, Amy and Colin sitting in the chairs next to where he was. They had been waiting for close to seven hours, they had not heard anything, and Ephram was getting frustrated.  
  
"Ephram!"  
  
Ephram looked up in relief at his father's running figure.  
  
The phone call he had had to make to his father had been probably one of the hardest things he could ever do. At first the words wouldn't come, but when he said the first one the rest just came stumbling out one after another. Andy had told his panicked son to calm down, asked exactly where he was, and said that he would be on the first plane out of Denver. Ephram barely even noticed that the Abbotts and the Harts were with him.  
  
When Ephram felt his father's arms go around his shaking figure, he lost the calm he was trying so hard to maintain.  
  
Andy pulled slightly away from him as he regained his composure. Ephram averted his eyes from his father's gaze. "Ephram?"  
  
Amy's voice could be heard in the deafening silence, "They won't tell us anything."  
  
Andy's eyes left his son's expressionless face and wandered over to the two worn out teens. He looked back at his son, "What happened?" Ephram shrugged in response, his face clouded with pain.  
  
Amy, again, was the one to say something, "She was taking something! I had seen her earlier at lunch, I was gonna say something but when I confronted her about it...she freaked! Then she just, like collapsed!"  
  
The two doctors looked at each other over their children, both thinking the same thing.  
  
Dr. Brown cleared his throat, "I'm going to go find someone who can tell us something."  
  
Andy went to the nurses' station and cleared his throat yet again. The nurse looked up at him, "Can I help you, sir?"  
  
"Yes. I'm trying to find out about a patient."  
  
The nurse rolled her eyes and with a bored tone, stated, "Name."  
  
"Martin, Kaeleigh."  
  
The nurse then eyed him suspiciously, "Are you family?"  
  
"My name is Andrew Brown. My son is the girl's best friend. I'm just trying to find out if she's okay!"  
  
The nurse frowned and looked around, "Oh, all right."  
  
She paged a man over the intercom, which Andy assumed was Kaeleigh's treating doctor. A man appeared a few minutes later, spoke shortly to the nurse, and then walked over to Andy, "Mr. Brown?"  
  
"Dr."  
  
"Excuse me, Dr. Brown. The nurse said you were here about Ms. Martin?"  
  
"Yes, is she okay? How bad is it?"  
  
The doctor glanced at the people hanging onto their every word, "Maybe it would be best if we spoke in private?"  
  
Ephram watched as the doctor and his father went further down the hall.  
  
He watched as the doctor explained everything to his father.  
  
He watched as his father put his forehead in his hands in disbelief.  
  
He watched as his father looked up at him. Their eyes met and Ephram knew it was bad.  
  
Ephram started to tremble as his father walked back to him. "E..."  
  
Ephram could hear it in his voice and he shook his head, "Ephram..."  
  
Andy put a comforting hand on his child's shoulder, "Son. She's...sick. She has a tumor. In her brain. It's what we call a brain stem glioma."  
  
Ephram swallowed hard, "But you can fix it, right?"  
  
Andy sighed, he always thought this was the worst part, "She's had it for about a year."  
  
"But......you can fix it, right?"  
  
"Ephram," Andy paused for a moment to try to think of an easier way to say this, "There isn't anything I can do."  
  
Ephram refused to believe the words he was saying, and the ones he wasn't, "Yes, you can! You're a goddamned brain surgeon! You fixed Colin! And that didn't even take much asking! Why can't you do this one thing for me!? Huh? Is it not prestigious enough for you? Is there not enough publicity?"  
  
Andy closed his eyes in pain at his son's anguished voice, "You know that's not it. The tumor, it's-"  
  
But Ephram wasn't through, "Hey, here's a thought! Maybe you won't do it because this time -----this time there won't be a fucking town to call you their hero."  
  
His last statement held such defeat that Andy could feel his own heart breaking. Ephram walked away towards the nurses' station.   
  
"Hi, I was wondering if I could use your phone?" The nurse gave him a sweet smile and told him to feel free.  
  
He picked up the phone and called Kaeleigh's parents.  
  
When he was done, he went back to their group, avoiding his father's eyes, and was told that they could go see her now.  
_ _ _ _ _ _  
  
Ephram quietly walked into her room and sat next to the bed. She opened her eyes slowly and gave him a small smile, "Hey."  
  
"Hey."  
  
Kaeleigh noticed the look in his eyes and winced as she tried to sit up, "He told you."  
  
Ephram nodded and watched her, "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
He was hurt, she could tell. She took a tired breath, "I just wanted - I wanted to be able to - I mean, without your knowing, I -"  
  
"You wanted what?" Kaeleigh looked down at her hands and seemed to zone out for a minute. When she 'woke up', she had completely changed the subject somehow, "Hey, you think we could go back to Everwood? You think you could get your dad to get me out of here today?"  
  
Ephram glanced at her like she was crazy. "Lee, you're in the hospital with a tumor! You have to get help."  
  
Kaeleigh grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him close to her, her voice strained, "Please. I don't want......I don't want to die in here."  
  
Ephram pulled away sharply, "Die? Who ever said anything about you dying? Did that crackpot -"  
  
Kaeleigh shook her head violently and lay it back down on the pillow, "I've always known. Don't you think I've gotten help, Ephram? I did radiation for eight months! It didn't help! It was supposed to slow down the tumor's growth and give me more time but it didn't! It was a waste of already precious time! I just want to spend what I have left with people who love me. Not in this place."  
  
"What about surgery?"  
  
"It's inoperable, Ephram. We looked into that, as well. You want to know something? Weakness of muscles and decreased mobility are two of the first symptoms of when it gets real bad. When I--- when I fell, I knew. I knew my time was up. According to the best doctors we could find, I've got three, four months tops. But I could also live as short as one month. I just wanted to be with you without the pity."  
  
"Pity? I don't feel pity."  
  
"Then take me home."  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
  
A.N.: Please review?? The next two parts will be VERY short but they will be the final parts. I hope you enjoyed this and please, no flames? (It's just a story) : ) 


	7. Strength

A.N.: I warned you this would be VERY short!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!   
  
  
(Six Weeks Later)  
  
The next few weeks were not the easiest for everyone but they got along pretty well. Ephram spent as much time as he could with Kaeleigh, rarely having time for much else.  
  
Ephram threw open the front door and his backpack on the couch.   
  
He went straight to Kaeleigh's room and sat on the chair next to her bed. She was sleeping, she did that a lot lately. Everyone was really worried about it but Ephram just ignored them.   
  
Kaeleigh opened her eyes and smiled weakly, "Have fun?"  
  
He laughed hoarsely, "School? Fun? Oh, yeah, sure."  
  
Ephram watched her for a few minutes as she struggled to keep her eyes open. "Hey, I'll talk to ya later. I got homework. You should get some sleep."  
  
She half-snorted and replied feebly, "No, I wanna talk to you."  
  
Ephram gave her a look, "Lee, you need to keep up your strength."  
  
"I think I've probably gotten enough sleep to last two people a lifetime." Contrary to her statement she was asleep within seconds.   
  
Ephram gave her a kiss on the forehead and walked into the overcrowded kitchen. He greeted his father and Kaeleigh's parents. They smiled in return and went into their daughter's room.   
  
"How was your day?" Ephram shrugged, "Fine." Andy walked over to his son, "Ephram -how are you? Really?"  
  
Ephram rolled his eyes. "I'm fine!" He grabbed a Coke from the fridge and went towards the stairs but when his father vacated the kitchen, he changed his mind and went out to the porch. He needed to think. 


	8. One Lonely Visitor

A.N.: Again, I warned you!!! (This part is a parallel type of writing. Each event is happening in two different rooms at the same time) 

_ _ _ _ _ _ 

__

The Martins went into Kaeleigh's room and tried to wake her gently. When she didn't, they called for Andy.

~~~~~~

Ephram sat down on the porch, leaning up against the house. He swallowed the tears back. He wouldn't cry. He couldn't.

~~~~~~

__

Andy stepped back and sighed. Her mother sank into the chair. They watched Kaeleigh's chest move up and down.

~~~~~~

He knew what was coming. He knew he needed to accept it. It was just so hard. She had been there since he could remember. He couldn't imagine life without her.

~~~~~~

__

They watched as the movement became strained. Harder for her body to produce what she needed.

~~~~~~

Ephram laughed. Why was he thinking like this? He had time. Another month, at the most.

~~~~~~

__

They watched as she started to skip breaths. As she started to gasp. Andy quietly excused himself and went upstairs, where he thought his son was.

~~~~~~

Something didn't fit. Something wasn't right. He could feel it in his heart. 

And in his soul.

~~~~~~

__

Her mother gripped her father's hand as she took a long, deep breath.

~~~~~~

Ephram felt a tightening in his chest that he couldn't explain. His eyes stung. 

As the back door swung open, Ephram Brown let one solitary tear fall down his face.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A.N.: PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! I would love to know what you thought of this story. If you think I did a good job, or if you think I should give up writing this type of fanfic. PLEASE?


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